The Sword and the Shield
by GIRL IN STORY
Summary: Steve knew they were an angel and a demon because they had white and black wings, respectively. Besides that, they looked fairly normal. Well, the angel did. The demon was wearing the skinniest, most useless scarf that Steve had ever seen. His hair looked like God had been a little too proud of the Cockatiel. Besides that, he looked... exactly like Bucky.


Bucky had only recently returned home, which was to say, he had only recently returned to Steve. Tony offered him a floor of the Tower, because, "I'm much worse than Howard, so if he hasn't killed me yet, my parent's death probably wasn't his fault." Bucky had declined the offer, in favor of staying on Steve's floor of the Tower. Steve beamed at the announcement, a smile so bright that the Avengers suddenly understood why Bucky had also recently taken to wearing sunglasses indoors.

He did not join the Avengers on missions, but he did join Bruce for meditation, Clint for target practice, and all of the Avengers them every week for Sunday Brunch. That week it was crêpes. Butterfingers was making them, despite the general consensus that it shouldn't be given tasks concerning actual butter.

They were on their second round of day-drinks when an angel and a demon manifested in the middle of the common room.

Bucky was the only one who didn't seem alarmed, which was unusual in and of itself, because things that alarmed Bucky included (but were not limited to): The spin cycle on the washing machine, Shakespeare's tragedies (Steve had _warned _them that _Romeo and Juliet _was a bad idea), the color blue, people named "Gabe," nuns, lizards, and Queen.

"Here for the crêpes, angel?" He asked, in a…

"Was that a fake British accent?" asked Vision, completely failing to see the irony.

"Oh," said Bucky. He dropped his napkin. "_Oh_."

"I thought you remembered everything," said Tony, not quite accusatory. The Avengers could always tell when a new memory was returning, because Bucky's nose started to bleed.

"So did I," he said.

Steve picked up his dropped napkin, and proceed to wipe his Bucky's nose. The Avengers politely averted their gaze, but the angel and demon seemed to think it was normal enough.

Steve knew they were an angel and a demon because they had white and black wings, respectively.

Besides that, they looked fairly normal. Well, the angel did. The demon was wearing the skinniest, most useless scarf that Steve had ever seen. His hair looked like God had been a little too proud of the Cockatiel.

Besides _that_, he looked... exactly like Bucky.

"Care to introduce us to your friends?" asked Natasha. Even she looked a little alarmed, but Steve thought that had more to do with the relative proof of hell's existence than anything else. It made him more than a little uncomfortable. Not for himself, but for Bucky. He knew Bucky was as good as they came, but the relative proof of God's existence only led him to believe that he was not to be trusted. Not after what he had done to Bucky.

Steve only realized he had said this out loud, when Aziraphale said, "She, actually."

Bucky did the introductions. "Avengers, meet Crowley and Aziraphale. Demon and angel, but no longer affiliated with hell or heaven. Now affiliated with… did you ever get the little cottage in South Downs?"

Aziraphale nodded. His chins wobbled. Most of him wobbled, but Steve was seriously concerned that an angel was about to start crying. He offered the demon Sam's napkin, just in case.

"Come again," said Tony. "Which I have never said under such unpleasant circumstances."

Bucky took a deep breath. "It started in '44. They were having a hard time controlling me, and they thought it might be easier if I was possessed with something else under their control."

"Wait," said Sam. "Nazis tried to summon a demon?"

"Nah," Bucky waved his metal hand. "Nazis did summon a demon, but they got the wrong one. They were trying to summon Anung Un Rama."

Crowley barked a laugh. "I guarantee you he would have joined the Allies. Always a softy that one."

"Look who's talking," Aziraphale murmured, and Crowley turned almost as red as his hair.

"So instead they summoned…" Sam tailed off.

"Hi." Crowley gave a little wave. He took over, speaking in a somehow simultaneous drawl and patter that was difficult to follow until Jarvis provided subtitles.

"My vessel was getting a bit on in the years, so when I was summoned, I accepted the apparently-willing sacrifice eagerly. I had possessed several bodies over the centuries, unlike Aziraphale. He was always so proud of never putting a dent in his."

Azirpahale blushed, and Crowley paused to admire it before continuing. "Well, I live a bit faster than that."

"Generally around 90 miles per hour," Aziraphale added dryly.

"You felt.. different than any other vessel. At first, I thought you had somehow been rendered brain dead by the possession. Remembering some of the devices in the room where we met, I wondered if you had been brain dead before that. Then you started fighting back. And you fought like you'd had _practice_."

"I… took control?" Bucky asked, like he remembered, but didn't quite believe it. "How?"

"I let you." Crowley gave a funny little shrug like he wasn't used to having shoulders. "Aziraphale always had such faith in humans. I figured if anyone could save the world, well... my money wouldn't be on a demon."

"You're wrong," said Bucky.

"No, I'm not. You saved the world. I was right. That's why I get to do the I Told You So Dance." Crowley pointed a single finger skyward, as if he was imitating Baphomet's posture or preparing to do Travolta's dance move from _Saturday Night Fever_. Steve got the distinct impression that it had been Crowley's dance move first.

"All I did was give Adam a pep talk," said Bucky.

"Without which the world would have ended," Crowley said slowly, like he was speaking to someone with brain damage or Siri.

Bucky was used to being spoken to like that. "And all you did was give me freedom. Without which the world _might_ have ended."

"Hmm." Crowley adjusted his sunglasses. "Well, I feel a bit better now about all the times I've told people I saved the world."

Aziraphale smiled at him. "Darling, no one but you thought otherwise." He turned to Bucky. "That's why we came to find you once we… saw you on the news. We wanted to give you that: You saved the world. You never wanted a war. You _hated_ the idea of a war."

"The draft," Bucky murmured to himself, and of course, to Steve.

"You never told me," said Steve. "You should have told me. I would have run with you."

Aziraphale made a little cooing sound at that, more like a pigeon than a person. Crowley wrapped a wing around him.

"Stevie, you couldn't even _run_," said Bucky. "But.. I thought about it. Only crime I ever wanted to commit."

"Well-

"_Fine_." Bucky rolled his eyes. "Only felony I ever wanted to commit."

"Speaking of which," Aziraphale cut in. "We can testify at your trial, if you like."

"Although I might have some trouble swearing on the bible," said Crowley. "Do they still do that? No, shame. It always got me out of Jury Duty."

Bucky started crying.

"Oh, did we do the wrong thing?" Azirphale sounded devastated. Crowley simply wrapped his other wing around Bucky.

"No, we didn't." He took Sam's napkin and used it to wipe the tears from Bucky's cheeks. Again, the Avengers politely averted their gaze. "See, now, I can human up and say I saved the world. You'll get there." He glanced at Steve. "Just keep listening to the angel on your shoulder."

"How did-" Bucky seemed somewhat discomfited by having his own arm around his shoulder, but at least he had stopped crying. "How-"

"Oh, this." Crowley looked down at himself, like he'd forgotten who he was wearing. "Well, when Adam set things to better-than-right, it... it put you and your body back with Hydra. I was discorporated. Adam offered to make me a new body, and I rather liked the old model, so- I mean- Sorry."

"You might run into some trouble with Hydra."

"To be honest, that was the goal. I was hoping to find you again, but I couldn't sense your aura, because it was, well..."

"That's okay." Bucky shrugged under Crowley's wing. "I couldn't find me either."

"I also..." The demon pushed his sunglasses up his nose. "I also wanted to apologize. For taking you like that... and for leaving you like that. You had spent so much time seeing through my eyes and vice-versa, that you thought you were me. Well, we do have a lot in common." He started ticking items off Bucky's fingers. Not his fingers, which looked like Bucky's, but Bucky's own fingers. "A fondness for mid-century cars that can fly. A fondness for blond idiots. We've played for both sides, hung out with the wrong crowd, had a really bad time of the 70s."

They shuddered in unison.

"Even I couldn't tell the difference," said Aziraphale. "Of course, I noticed some changes. You reacted with… much more extremity when I referred to you as 'nice' or 'good.' Crowley just blushes. And well... you were rather... reckless."

"Demon," said Crowley, pointing to himself.

"I mean… The holy water. You asked me for holy water in case..." Aziraphale looked distressed. Steve didn't know if it was because suicide was a sin, or because Crowley- Bucky-

"What?" They spoke in unison. "I wanted holy water to kill Ligur, not myself. Wait. Is that what you meant when you said I went too fast?"

It was a little eerier when they spoke _full sentences_ in unison, but again, Aziraphale seemed unruffled.

"Of course," he said. "What else would I have meant?"

Bucky facepalmed. He used Crowley's palm, but Steve supposed they were used to sharing a body. He found himself getting a bit jealous. Bucky extracted himself from Crowley's wing to give Steve a hug. The napkins were all used up, so Steve wiped his eyes on Bucky's sleeve. The Avengers didn't avert their gaze, but only because they had long since gone back to their crêpes.

In his periphery, Steve heard the subsequent conversation between Crowley and Aziraphale (the angel's side was a bit muffled).

"What do you think? Worth a beheading?"

"Mmm."

"You know, it's no wonder he liked you so much, angel"

"You think I'm like..?"

"Oh, I can see the resemblance."

"He reminds me more of you."

"Because his shield is a pentacle?"

"No, Crowley. Because it's a shield. Like you and your sunglasses."

"I've never beheaded a man with my sunglasses."

"Well-"

"_Fine_. I've never beheaded more than one man with my sunglasses. Hmm. The sword and the shield. You know, I rather like that, angel."


End file.
